The block copolymer has a molecular structure in which polymer blocks, each with a distinct chemical structure, are connected to one another by covalent bonds. The block copolymer can be constructed in a regularly arranged structure—such as a sphere, a cylinder, and a lamella—through phase separation. The structure that is formed as the result of the self-assembly phenomenon of a block copolymer has a domain whose size can be adjusted over a wide range, and it can be constructed in various forms which can be applied to the production of a variety of next-generation nanodevices, magnetic storage media, and patterns (by lithography or the like): to be specific, the production of high-density magnetic recording media, nanowires, quantum dots, metal dots or the like.
Material properties of a block copolymer required for use in the above production of patterns include an etching selectivity plus a self-assembling property. That is, the fabrication of a mask for the production of a pattern may require a process of selectively removing any one block among the blocks—that are chemically different from one another—of a self-assembled block copolymer; in the case that the etching selectivity among the blocks is not secured during the above process, it is difficult for the block copolymer to be used in the production of a pattern.